[News] Major explosion in Beirut

[tip top]

Munitions bunker explosion?

Explains the dust cloud.

Do subs and warships dock there?

 

[Dick Head]

Jesus, that is horrendous.

As a side note, if you've not yet watched Once Upon a Time In Iraq, you really should. 5-parter an hour a piece on BBC iPlayer, an in-depth study of the invasion of Iraq from start to finish and the aftermath, from the viewpoint of journalists, photographers, victims, soldiers, a commanding officer and many more. People who were there on the ground, and footage you just don't see on the news. Some of the stuff from Mosul and Fallujah...well. And the interview with a captured ISIS grunt...bloody hell.

Essential viewing.

I found this programme quite shocking. If others intend to watch it I would warn them that Paul Bremer appears wearing a black suit with desert boots. I had to switch it off.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Shocking footage on BBC News. They are saying that it was a huge stockpile of Ammonium Nitrate that had been stored at the port since 2014. Official figures so far are 70 dead and 3700 injured. Fatality rate is expected to rise sharply. Absolute carnage.

 

[tip top]

Shocking footage on BBC News. They are saying that it was a huge stockpile of Ammonium Nitrate that had been stored at the port since 2014. Official figures so far are 70 dead and 3700 injured. Fatality rate is expected to rise sharply. Absolute carnage.

What's the odds of them going down the fertiliser route

 

[portlock seagull]

Another bloody episode in a blood soaked land. Growing up in the 80s, Beirut was a byword for devastation and destruction on a monumental scale.

Whether accident or deliberate, caused by negligence or terror, the international community needs to come to their aid. Witnessing the pictures on the BBC tonight, it reminded me of the Messines Ridge going up. It looks to be a disaster of Bhopal, almost Chernobyl proportions. Sickening. Truly horrifying. Give what you can to the appeals being launched tonight.

 

[KZNSeagull]

2500 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate stored at the port without security measures since 2014, according to the Lebanese PM. Appalling.

 

[hart's shirt]

A couple of Lebanese mates over here have provided some updates in the last few minutes.

One of them has said that his family felt the huge blast and their house door blasted open. To put it in perspective, they live 25km away.

The cause was ammonium nitrate that had been offloaded from a ship in the docks. State had been previously warned of the risks, but failed to act.

As Lebanese citizens, they're putting the disaster solely down to the state's neglect and corruption.

 

[Sheebo]

That bottom angle is horrific. You have to fear that was a live stream and the person filming it may no longer be of this mortal coil.

Watched it a few times and not sure I agree. Wasn’t that just dust and debris that got sprayed up? Could be wrong as camera swivels. 70 deaths so far isn’t anywhere near what I’d have thought. Sure that’ll go up but was pleasantly surprised given the context, although fearing the worst given the size of that blast.

 

[tip top]

This stinks.

RIP to all those innocent people that lost their lives.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

A couple of Lebanese mates over here have provided some updates in the last few minutes.

One of them has said that his family felt the huge blast and their house door blasted open. To put it in perspective, they live 25km away.

The cause was ammonium nitrate that had been offloaded from a ship in the docks. State had been previously warned of the risks, but failed to act.

As Lebanese citizens, they're putting the disaster solely down to the state's neglect and corruption.

A friend of mine who lives in Nicosia heard what he recognised was a large explosion. He is used to that kind of thing as he's been around a bit and his wife works for AFP. He immediately phoned her and his two kids and told them to take cover as he believed things were kicking off in Cyprus again. It is 150 miles as the crow flies from Nicosia to Beirut.

 

[Raphael Meade]

Blast was felt in Cyprus according to multiple residents online

 

[Raphael Meade]

A friend of mine who lives in Nicosia heard what he recognised was a large explosion. He is used to that kind of thing as he's been around a bit and his wife works for AFP. He immediately phoned her and his two kids and told them to take cover as he believed things were kicking off in Cyprus again. It is 150 miles as the crow flies from Nicosia to Beirut.

Ignore my post as this is a more trustworthy source, but still - crazy

 

[portlock seagull]

A couple of Lebanese mates over here have provided some updates in the last few minutes.

One of them has said that his family felt the huge blast and their house door blasted open. To put it in perspective, they live 25km away.

The cause was ammonium nitrate that had been offloaded from a ship in the docks. State had been previously warned of the risks, but failed to act.

As Lebanese citizens, they're putting the disaster solely down to the state's neglect and corruption.

Heard over a 100 miles away too! It’s a given the state is at fault in some way. But your friends should hold further judgement until more is known, especially because it’s the easy to blame faceless authorities when wider socio-economic, political, religious and even cultural factors will no doubt have contributed. Middle Eastern countries appear riddled with corruption and autocracy as we know. But it also appears to run deeper than just the self serving, ruling elite from the outside too. I don’t know, but regardless of whatever the facts are, a lot of innocent people lie dead or injured tonight that’s for sure.

 

[Yoda]

With the blast being felt as far as Cyprus, Ammonium Nitrate does sound plausible when taking into a historical event here.

On April 2, 1916, a factory in Uplees, Faversham, exploded after a fire spread to a store of 25 tons of TNT and 700 tons of ammonium nitrate. The blast at the Explosives Loading Company killed 115 people and shattered windows in Southend-on-Sea across the Thames Estuary while the tremor was felt in Norwich.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

A couple of Lebanese mates over here have provided some updates in the last few minutes.

One of them has said that his family felt the huge blast and their house door blasted open. To put it in perspective, they live 25km away.

The cause was ammonium nitrate that had been offloaded from a ship in the docks. State had been previously warned of the risks, but failed to act.

As Lebanese citizens, they're putting the disaster solely down to the state's neglect and corruption.

Sent my condolences to a colleague and native. Grim

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

With the blast being felt as far as Cyprus, Ammonium Nitrate does sound plausible when taking into a historical event here.

On April 2, 1916, a factory in Uplees, Faversham, exploded after a fire spread to a store of 25 tons of TNT and 700 tons of ammonium nitrate. The blast at the Explosives Loading Company killed 115 people and shattered windows in Southend-on-Sea across the Thames Estuary while the tremor was felt in Norwich.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151027-the-ticking-time-bomb-of-the-thames

Bigger explosion if this lot goes up. Could wipe out North Kent coastal towns. Just where BJ wanted his airport.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

With the blast being felt as far as Cyprus, Ammonium Nitrate does sound plausible when taking into a historical event here.

On April 2, 1916, a factory in Uplees, Faversham, exploded after a fire spread to a store of 25 tons of TNT and 700 tons of ammonium nitrate. The blast at the Explosives Loading Company killed 115 people and shattered windows in Southend-on-Sea across the Thames Estuary while the tremor was felt in Norwich.

Famous round these parts. Carelessness costs lives.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151027-the-ticking-time-bomb-of-the-thames

Bigger explosion if this lot goes up. Could wipe out North Kent coastal towns. Just where BJ wanted his airport.

It could wipe out Sheerness, you say?

I'll leave the rest of NSC to insert their own punchlines here.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

It could wipe out Sheerness, you say?

I'll leave the rest of NSC to insert their own punchlines here.

I thought it may be in poor taste if honest

 

[portlock seagull]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151027-the-ticking-time-bomb-of-the-thames

Bigger explosion if this lot goes up. Could wipe out North Kent coastal towns. Just where BJ wanted his airport.

Really interesting article, thanks for sharing. Similar wartime cargoes lie elsewhere in the channel and northsea, they’re all ticking timebombs seemingly. It does prove, like Lebanon, that we are are prone to let things happen before action is taken. By then, too late. Disaster after disaster is shown to have had numerous warnings before the inevitable. It’s in our genes. Too expensive touted as the usual reason as successive governments hope it doesn’t go off on their watch. Why we don’t hold the establishment more to account I don’t know. That’s why I’d not get to angry with the authorities in Lebanon tonight, instead ask how have I contributed e.g. turned blind eye, voted to pay less tax, didn’t vote at all etc. We’re all guilty in some way usually!